| As a devoted Shango Shaman in training for well over twenty years, Miss Cleo’s been helping people all her life. In a very short period of time, she’s become a household name simply by the sheer force of her psychic gifts, which she’s honed since she was a little girl in the Caribbean. Born in the Trelawny section of Jamaica, Miss Cleo says she noticed at very young age that she had unique talents. “Dead people used to come and talk to me in my dreams when I was a little gal,” she says, adding that she felt she had to hide her amazing abilities while growing up. “My mother wanted me to be an attorney, but me wasn’t feeling it all.” |
| Eventually, Miss Cleo discovered and explored Lukumi and other metaphysical arts. Lukumi originated in West Africa in what is now Nigeria and Benin. It is the traditional religion of the Yoruba peoples there. The slave trade brought many of these people and their soulful religion to the shores of Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad and Puerto Rico among others. “I am a Shaman, which is like a spiritual guide,” says Cleo. |
| Miss Cleo and other Lukumi adherents believe in one god known as Olorun or Olodumare. Olorun is the source of ashe, the spiritual energy that makes up the universe, all life and all things material. Olorun interacts with the world through emissaries. These emissaries are called orishas. The orishas rule over every force of nature and every aspect of human life. They are approachable and can be counted on to come to the aid of their followers, materially as well as spiritually… |
| Communication between orishas and humankind is accomplished through ritual, prayer, divination and ebo or offerings. Perhaps the most ‘popular’ of the orishas is Shango who rules over lightening, thunder, fire, the drums and dance. He is a warrior orisha with quick wits, quick temper and is the epitome of virility. He is an extremely hot blooded and strong-willed orisha that loves all the pleasures of the world: dance, drumming, women, song and eating. |
| For her insightful and inspirational readings, Miss Cleo relies on her spirits to communicate through the cards and through her directly. “The cards are just tools,” she says, “when you see me on the commercial, sometimes it is not me talking — it’s my spiritual guides. They tell me about people…” Why does Miss Cleo concentrate all her energies and open herself as intensely as she does? The answer’s simple: Miss Cleo’s aspiration has always been to support and encourage others on their own spiritual journeys. |
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